Holy Ghost festival starts Saturday in Hudson

Friday

Jun 27, 2008 at 12:01 AMJun 27, 2008 at 3:17 PM

Family and friends from across New England this weekend will continue the Portuguese tradition of their homeland of Santa Maria Island in the Azores when they gather for the annual Holy Ghost Festival.

Jeff Malachowski/Daily News correspondent

Family and friends from across New England this weekend will continue the Portuguese tradition of their homeland of Santa Maria Island in the Azores when they gather for the annual Holy Ghost Festival.

The two-day religious event dates back to the reign of Queen Isabella of Portugal in the early 1500s, who opened the royal palace one day a year to give food and support to the poor, said Tony Chaves, founder of the Hudson Holy Ghost Festival. According to tradition, each year a peasant, typically a child, is crowned emperor for the day and gives out meat, bread and soup to give thanks, said Chaves.

A Holy Ghost festival was held in Saugus for many years and, with many Hudson residents attending, Chaves and others thought there was a need to bring it to Hudson. Hudson, which has held its own festival for 34 years, has one of the largest communities of former residents of the island of Santa Maria in the United States and Canada, said Chaves.

"With so many people coming from the island of Santa Maria, the need for that tradition to be celebrated was apparent with so many people from the island of Santa Maria living in Hudson," said Chaves.

The event has been celebrated each year for centuries in many Azorean communities, said Chaves.

The Holy Ghost Festival of Santa Maria starts tomorrow night with Portuguese music and entertainment at the Hudson Portuguese Club on Port Street before a full day of festivities on Sunday.

A coronation Mass, where a new emperor is crowned, will be held at St. Michael Church at 10:30 a.m. Sunday.

After the Mass, the traditional parade will start at Hudson Catholic High School, make its way through downtown Hudson and come to an end at the Hudson Portuguese Club.

Once there, those in attendance will be served fried dough, Holy Ghost sweet bread, wine and Holy Ghost soup, which consists of a beef broth poured over catsup bread that is dried and hardened with fresh herbs, cinnamon and margarine.

Numerous dance groups, including the Grupo Folclorico de Criancas of Hudson, Grupo Folclorico from Cambridge and Grupo das Candeias of Hudson will perform traditional Portuguese dances and the band Origens will perform Portuguese songs.

About 2,000 to 3,000 people from across New England and Canada are expected to attend.

"Usually it is a pretty good crowd," said Chaves. "A lot of times many people come from all across New England and Canada. It's a good occasion to see old friends and family."

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